Traffic Control for Helicoptor Parents
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
I spent a recent weekend with my partner and his family, including his four-month-old nephew. When we visited my partner’s aunt at her nursing home, I held the baby on my lap and told him stories about the people in his life. I explained to him that Uncle Dan knows everything about computers right now, but it may someday be his job to teach Uncle Dan things as technology advances. I told him about his Aunt Katie, who is an accountant and will teach him about budgeting for college. One by one, I went through the family members.
“And I will teach you everything you need to know about going away to college,” I told him. “If you need me to, I can also teach your mommy and daddy how to send their student away to college and maintain appropriate boundaries.”
His mother laughed, but as I regaled her with stories of parents and grandparents who have contacted me recently, she realized that in seventeen years, my expertise may be needed.
Only a few days later I was on the phone with a local travel agent booking my flights to the ACUHO-I Annual Conference and Exposition. He gathered the information from me he needed to make the reservation, including my department name.
“My nephew is going to school there next year, and is going to live on campus. Any tips I can pass along to him?” he asked. He finished making my reservation while I talked to him about involvement and community. Before we hung up, he thanked me and said, “I had no idea how much living on campus has changed since I was in school.”
As much effort as we put into educating students about residence life, I wonder what institutions are doing to educate parents and families about what we do. On my task list for my summer interns is creating a parent resource for our incoming residents. We have a visible presence at orientation and Welcome Week. But is that enough?
What are your institutions doing to include parents and family in the residential experience?
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